Whatever Happened to Ponyboy?
by TristanDude14
Summary: Ponyboy acts very strange.  Read to find out what happens next.  Dedicated to my best friend Vincent.
1. Ponyboy Alone

Hi, folks! This is a re-write of my first fan fiction that I wrote a long time ago. I now have a new account and pen name and am rewriting this story by making improvements and making it longer. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders or Whatever Happened to Baby Jane which is a film that this story is somewhat based on.

Chapter One - Ponyboy Alone

Ponyboy could not be sure, but he was certain that he had been home alone for at least two hours. He sighed as he laid back on the couch in the living room. The television was on, showing some old movie. The reception wasn't very good because of the horrible storm that was forming outside. Thunder was booming loud enough that it made the house shake. Ponyboy shivered with fear as he heard the rain pounding on the roof. He sighed as he laid on the couch, wishing that his brothers would get home soon. Soda and Darry had gone out for the night. They had been invited to some big party in town, but Ponyboy was too young to go there. So, he managed to stay home all night with nothing to do but watch television and other boring things.

As the storm continued, the phone next to the couch rang. Ponyboy, startled by the sudden noise, picked it up. "Curtis Residents," he spoke into the phone.

"It's Darry, Ponyboy." Darry was calling from a payphone. They had been trying to find a good road home. It turned out that the storm was causing flooding in a lot of areas. They were still searching for a road that wasn't too bad to drive on. "Give us another two hours," Darry explained to Ponyboy.

"Alright," Ponyboy responded. "I'm getting a little afraid being in this house all alone like this, though. I don't know. For some reason, I feel like someone's trying to get in here." Darry laughed on the other line. Ponyboy blushed, feeling a little embarassed about being afraid at his age.

"Don't be silly!" Darry exclaimed. "Your fourteen years old, Ponyboy. Grow up, why doncha?" He continued to laugh on the other line as Ponyboy sighed, feeling more embarassed than ever. He felt that he shouldn't have said anything in the first place. He shrugged as there was another loud boom of thunder. The house shook again, the pictures above the mantel vibrating. The hammers inside the upright piano vibrated, creating a soft musical tune. Ponyboy gulped at the way the house itself was acting. It was almost like it was alive and was talking to him or something.

"Do you want to talk to Soda? He wants to tell you something. I don't know what, but I think you should take the call. He's been asking for you ever since I called you."

"Sure, let me talk to him." Ponyboy actually meant it. He still felt closest to Soda out of both of his brothers and seemed more comfortable talking to him during this stormy night. Soda sounded happier than ever on the phone. It was almost like he was in a different earth, away from the rain and in the sunlight.

"Ponyboy, how are you doing at home all alone?" Soda sounded like he was about to crack a joke any minute. Ponyboy shrugged, almost feeling happier because he was talking to his favorite brother who always made him feel better.

"I'm doing fine, Soda," he told his brother. "I hope you guys can get home soon. I'm getting lonely in this house all alone. There's nothing to do and of course after what happened a couple of months ago, I still have those nightmares." There was a slight pause on the other line. It was probably Soda feeling sad for Ponyboy. Ever since Johnny and Dally had died two months earlier, Ponyboy had nightmares all the time about the events. Every night that it happened and Ponyboy awoke scared, Soda would be there for him. However, Ponyboy didn't want to fall asleep with a nightmare and not have his brother be there for him.

"Oh, I know, Ponyboy," Soda said to him with a comforting voice. "Just hang on and we'll be home before you know it. It shouldn't be too much longer." Ponyboy smiled in spite of the situation. He nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you soon, Soda." He hungup the phone as he sighed, looking out the front window. Rain was pouring down the roof and across the street, he could see Johnny's house. Johnny's parents were living there alone now. They probably didn't even care that their son was gone. It made Ponyboy every time he thought about it. Johnny being gone and his parents not even caring. Ponyboy felt like calling the cops on them sometime, but he never felt like it. To him, they were the past now. Johnny would live in his heart forever, but Mr. and Mrs. Cade were just gone and he was glad because he didn't want to think about them. He hated how sometimes he thought about them abusing Johnny and how they got away with it.

Ponyboy groaned as he laid down on the couch, trying to fall asleep. The television continued, the static still going on as the rain poured onto the antenna on the roof. Ponyboy starred up at the ceiling as he dosed off, thinking about what it would be like if Johnny were still there. He wanted him back more than anything, but he knew that he was gone and that that was the way it was. He sighed as he fell asleep on the couch.

Two-Bit Matthews was standing in the middle of his bedroom, looking out the window at the rain pouring over the trees. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed outside. He sighed. He was almost in the same mood as Ponyboy right then. He felt as though he could never go on living without Johnny, the gang's pet and the kindest person everyone in the gang ever knew. Steve walked into the room, a grin on his face.

"Yo, Two-Bit, you want to go to the movies tonight?"

Two-Bit chuckled as he turned around. "The movies tonight? I don't think so. It's pouring out and it's getting real late."

Steve shrugged. He seemed to be in a careless mood tonight. "So what? We've gone out to the movies plenty of times this late before. I called up Evie and she said she'd love to go. There's that new movie playing, that love story that I really want to take her to go and see. It'll be fun.

Two-Bit shook his head as he sat on the edge of his bed. "Then you go with her. I'll be like a third wheel, anyways, and I don't want to be. Just go pick up Evie and the two of you go. It's better that way. I'm gonna stay home for the night. I was even thinking of heading up to Ponyboy's to see how he was doing. After what happened the other month, he hasn't been feeling the same and I was thinking of going up there to keep him company."

Steve looked annoyed now. he stood in the doorway, looing half mad at Two-Bit. "Oh, come on, Two-Bit!" he said. "Who cares about Ponyboy?"

Two-Bit stood up, looking half mad at Steve as well. He never cared for the attitude Steve had towards Ponyboy. Big deal that he didn't care for Ponyboy. Ponyboy was a good kid and Two-Bit believed that. "I do." Two-Bit said directly to Steve. "He's my friend. and you should accept him more than you do. To tell you the truth, I think it's pretty terrible the way you talk to him sometimes. He's the youngest of the gang and I really think you should show him a little more respect once in a while. He's a good kid. You're best friends with his brother, so you should really start turning yourself around. I'll tell you that if you were best friends with me and said stuff like that about my brother, I wouldn't like it that much. So I'm just warning you. Don't be like that to the kid. He's good to everyone."

Steve shrugged as he actually did feel somewhat bad and took back everything he said. "Okay, fine," he said as Two-Bit headed out of the room. "I take back what I said."

Two-Bit put on his shoes as he opened the front door. "That's a good thing. You should be that way." Steve watched in confusion as Two-Bit headed out the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To Ponyboy's house. I'm gonna catch you later. In the meantime, you should get out of my house before my mom gets home. She doesn't like it when strangers walk through the house."

Steve chuckled. "So I'm a stranger, huh?" he said.

Two-Bit was already out the door and getting into his car. He started the engine and began driving up the street.

Please Read and Review!!


	2. The Accident and a New Brother

Here's chapter two. Things will start getting interesting now.

Chapter Two - The Accident and a New Brother

Ponyboy awoke, startled as he heard a loud boom. He figured that the thunder from the storm had woken him up, but this boom was louder than usual. It hadn't been from thunder. It had been from something else. Ponyboy, out of breath, sat up on the couch as he noticed something else out of the ordinary. The lights were off and the televisilon was off. The power was out. He sighed, wishing it would come back on. He hated it when the power went out. He felt strange with it being off. He felt even worse since he was home alone and now there were no lights on in the house. He groaned as he stood up, looking around. Something wasn't the same. There was something different going on, but he wasn't sure exactly what it was. He shrugged as he tried to find his way in the darkened room. He wanted to get his shoes on and go outside. It seemed like his brothers should have been home by now, but they still weren't. It had been a couple of hours since he spoke to them on the phone and now he really was wondering where they were. He hoped they were alright. The storm was still going on. It seemed like it would never get lighter outside. The rain just kept on coming as though it was never going to stop.

"They better be alright," Ponyboy said to himself. He had been worrying about them since he spoke to them on the telephone. He wished he was with them. He did not want to be home alone anymore that night. That was when he noticed that there really was something wrong outside. There was a sound that seemed to be coming from the corner of the street and the lightning seemed to be going on without stopping. There was blue light flashing through the front window as a crackling sound could be heard distant. There was something else going on outside. Ponyboy gulped, more worried than ever now as he headed toward the front door. He had no idea what he was going to find out there, but the longer he stayed inside, the more afraid he felt.

After he did open the door, he almost wished that he hadn't. What he found was not a good thing. Darry's truck had crashed into the utility pole at the corner. A wire had fallen and was crackling with live electricity. The crash had been the loud boom that Ponyboy had heard and that had also been the cause of the power going out. The sparks shooting out of the wire was the blue flashing that could be seen through the window. He nearly collapsed on the front porch as he saw the sight. Neighbors had come out of their houses, even in the rain, to see the crash. He even saw Two-Bit in his car as he drove up to the house. Pretty soon he heard the sounds of sirens as an ambulance and police car pulled up to the scene. He began to get dizzy and disoriented as the rain dripped onto him. He groaned as he saw Two-Bit running up to the house.

"Ponyboy! Are you alright?" Ponyboy did not answer. He collapsed at the front step, going into a deep sleep.

Ponyboy hadn't been responsive for several days. He simply listened to what Two-Bit was saying to a lawyer type of guy. Darry and Soda were dead. The crash had killed them. Two-Bit had tried to explain to Ponyboy that the storm had been so strong that they couldn't see through the rain. They crashed into the utility pole and it killed both of them.

"Well, Keith Matthews, you are old enough to take care of Ponyboy. This does mean that you are responsible for everything he does, just like a parent." Ponyboy saw Two-Bit nod. He didn't even know where he was. He knew he was in an office of some sort, but had no idea exactly what the place was. Two-Bit was sitting in a chair next to him, nodding as the man asked him questions. Ponyboy know about his brothers dying, but he couldn't accept it no matter how hard he tried. He just couldn't let them go. With losing Johnny, he had lost enough and now losing his brothers was too much for him to take. Inside his mind, he couldn't take it, but outside, he wasn't saying a word. The man even commented about it.

"It seems as though Ponyboy isn't very responsive. Has he talked to you, Keith?"

Two-Bit shook his head. "No, sir. Not since the accident. I think he's still in shock because of what happened. That's what made me decide to take care of him. I've heard him talk about being scared to death of going to a boy's home of some kind, so that's why I want to be his guardian. I'll take good care of him. I can give you my word."

The man nodded as he held some papers up, handing them to Two-Bit.

"Very well, Keith. These are some papers that you're going to have to sign and Ponyboy is going to have to sign saying that he agrees to have you be his guardian. That's the only way we can do it legally."

Two-Bit understood as he signed his name on a paper. He handed it to Ponyboy. "Ponyboy," Two-Bit said to Ponyboy. He didn't respond, but simply looked at him. Two-Bit smiled as he gave Ponyboy the pen to sign his name. "Now, if you agree to have me look over you, sign your name. You can do that, right?"

Ponyboy didn't nod or say a word. He simply signed his name on the paper and handed it to the man. The man nodded as he smiled at both of them. "Very well. Two-Bit, you are now Ponyboy Curtis's guardian. If I need to speak with either of you, I will call the Curtis home. That's where you will be living, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Two-Bit responded. "We'll be living in the Curtis home. I'm getting a job soon, though, so when I do get the number, I'll give it to you in case you need to reach me there." They agreed. Two-Bit and Ponyboy walked out of the office as Ponyboy walked off in a daze.

"Ponyboy," Two-Bit said. "I'm your new brother."

A couple of weeks went by. Ponyboy and Two-Bit had stayed at the Curtis home ever since. Steve caught Two-Bit coming out of the house once in a while as he went to the store to get supplies for the two of them. It had been two weeks since the accident and the funerals for the brothers had since passed. Ponyboy showed no emotion at the funerals. It was almost like he was still in a state of shock.

"Two-Bit!" Steve called out as he saw him coming out of the house. Two-Bit was on his way to the store to get supplies for dinner. He opened his car door.

"Hi, Steve," he responded. "I'm sorry, but you're catching me at a bad time. I'm on my way to the store to get some stuff for dinner. You know how I have to cook for Ponyboy now." Steve nodded. He understood, but he didn't like the way things were now.

"Yes, I know," Steve replied. "But I was just wondering if you'd like to go over to the Dingo or something like that one of these days. We haven't hungout since that bad accident and I was thinking you could bring Ponyboy, too. He needs to get out of the house once in a while. It might just get him feeling better again. I regret what I said the other week about him and I'm starting to understand what you were saying."

Two-Bit sighed as he sat in the car. He was about to start the car when he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Steve, but you don't know how Ponyboy's been lately. He hasn't talked or anything since the accident and I'm having a bad feeling that he's not gonna come out of this. Everyday, I try talking to him and he never talks back to me."

Steve nodded. "I see. I think you should call a doctor for him. The accident might have caused him a mental illness. You never know what could happen. He already lost Johnny and Dally and now Soda and Darry. I mean, come on, the kid must be in horrible shock. You never know what could be going on his head. I really think you should call a doctor for him. It seems like the best thing for him now." Two-Bit started the car as he sighed.

"I'll think about it, okay. I'm just not so sure about calling a doctor so soon. It's only been two weeks. I'll wait a little bit and see if I can get him out of this." He drove off to the store.


	3. New Living

Chapter Three - New Living

Ponyboy refused to eat dinner that night. He laid in his bed, simply shaking his head as Two-Bit offered him food. He wouldn't eat any of the food that Two-Bit bought. Two-Bit gave up as he ate dinner by himself in the kitchen. He sighed, thinking about what he should do about Ponyboy. He didn't want to call a doctor for him. It was too early for that. He heard nothing coming from Ponyboy's bedroom. He figured that he just needed more time to get used to the fact that his brothers were no longer there. He hoped so, anyways.

That night, Two-Bit slept in Soda's bed. He thought he should keep an eye on Ponyboy to make sure he was alright during the night. He was already asleep in his bed by the time Two-Bit came in. Ponyboy looked peaceful enough while he slept, so Two-Bit simply went to bed, dreaming peaceful dreams as Ponyboy awoke in the middle of the night. He almost didn't know where he was. It finally occured to him that he was in his own bed, in his own room at home. The shock had worn off and now he was aware of what was going on around him. He saw Two-Bit asleep in Soda's bed next to him, smiling in his sleep as though he was dreaming of something nice. Ponyboy sighed as he noticed a glass of water on his night stand. Two-Bit had put it there in case he got thirtsy in the middle of the night. He fell back asleep, dreaming of Johnny being alive along with his brothers and Dally.

The dream was interrupted as Ponyboy awoke in the morning, the sound of glass breaking. "Darn!" he heard out in the hall. Two-Bit walked into the room with a tray. Ponyboy's breakfast was on the tray and Two-Bit had broken a glass out in the hall. "Rise and shine!" Two-Bit said with happiness as he entered the room He set the breakfast tray on the bed, in front of Ponyboy. "You better eat, Ponyboy," Two-Bit told him as he sat up in bed. "You didn't eat dinner last night and you didn't have much for lunch yesterday. So, you should really get something in your stomach. It's not good for you to not eat like this. I was even considering taking you to the hospital to make you eat."

Ponyboy shook his head as he looked at the food. "I'm not very hungry," Ponyboy said. Two-Bit smiled.

"It's about time you talk," he said as he sat in a chair next to the bed. "I've been worried about you for the past couple of weeks. You wouldn't say a word and I was worried. In the meantime, eat your breakfast. I made your favorite, pancakes and eggs. I even have some toast with butter for you. You might not think it, but I'm a pretty good cook, Ponyboy."

Ponyboy nodded as he took a bite of the toast. "Yea, it is pretty good," he said. "It sure is a warm day out." Two-Bit nodded as he looked out the bedroom window.

"Yea, it is pretty warm. I had the air-conditioning on last night to cool the place off a little bit. It's not very strong, but I thought i might help with the temperature a little bit." He went out into the hall for a minute and returned with a stand fan. "This might help," he said as he plugged it into the wall outlet. A cool breeze filled the room. "I found it in the basement the other day. I had to find some papers down there." Two-Bit couldn't tell Ponyboy what those papers were. He had to search for the wills of his brothers and that wasn't a very pleasant experience. Two-Bit noticed that Ponyboy hadn't eaten. "Eat your breakfast," he reminded Ponyboy. "You don't want to get sick, do you?"

So, Ponyboy ate his breakfast and thanked Two-Bit as though everything was going to be better again. He knew about his brothers. He still couldn't accept it, though. "I'm feeling a little tired, still. I think the heat is getting to me," Ponyboy said as Two-Bit took his meal tray. Two-Bit nodded. The sounds of the neighbors' dogs barking could be heard.

"It'll get cool in here soon enough. In the meantime, you've got a lot of stuff to get done. It may be the summer, but you can't stay in bed all the time like this. You haven't been out of the bed in a couple of days. That's why I was starting to get worried."

"Has anyone called here, Two-Bit?"

"Yeah, lots of lawyer people and some cops asking about the accident. All I do is tell them to leave us alone. We don't need any lawyers. It's simple how everything happened. It was nobody's fault that the accident happened. If it was anybody's fault, it was the storm's fault."

Ponyboy gulped. Two-Bit immediately regreted mentioning the accident. "Anyone else call?"

"Yea, Steve called a couple of times. He was asking if I wanted to do something with him, but I told him I was too busy taking care of you and he even mentioned taking you to a doctor."

Ponyboy looked confused. "Doctor? I dont' think I need a doctor. I'm not sick or anything." Two-Bit chuckled as he pulled the bed sheets off of the bed to wash them.

"That's what I told him, Ponyboy. You were plenty healthy. The only thing that had me worried was that you weren't talking no matter how hard I tried to get you to say something. I asked some people about it, actually. They said that when major things happen to someone they go into a state of shock for a given length of time. Thankfully, it wasn't so bad for you. They say that some cases of shock can go on for years." Ponyboy nodded. The fan wasn't doing a very good job of cooling the room, so he could feel the sweat literally dripping down his face as he listened to Two-Bit.

"Yeah," he responded. "I can't remember much since the night it happened. I'm thinking maybe my mind was asleep." Two-Bit nodded as well as he pat Ponyboy on the shoulder.

"Yes, but you're doing fine now. Everything's going to be alright. I'm your new brother now, Ponyboy. I'm gonna take real good care of you until your independent. I promise to do anything for you to make you happy. We can do whatever you'd like, Ponyboy. I'm game for anything at all." Ponyboy smiled a little.

"That's awfully nice of you, Two-Bit. I do have one thing I'd like for you to do for me." Two-Bit smiled as he continued to pat Ponyboy on the shoulder.

"Of course, Ponyboy. Anything for you. I have to treat you like a brother now."

"Then could you turn on the AC? It's still so hot in here. I think that might cool the house up."

"Of course. I'll turn it on right away."

Ponyboy smiled. "Thanks, Darry," he said and suddenly caught himself as he said Darry instead of Two-Bit. Two-Bit gulped as he stood in the doorway. Tears began to stream from Ponyboy's face as he thought of his brohters. He began to cry in bed. "Oh, Darry!" he cried. "And Soda! Why did you have to go? Why?" He continued to cry as Two-Bit rushed up to him and hugged him.

"Oh, Ponyboy, it's alright. I know how you must be feeling now. But it's alright. They're in a better place now and I bet they're watching over us right now. i'm sure they're happy to see that I'm taking their place for you. They must be so happy. I bet they're with Johnny and Dally in Heaven right now. they're all watching over us."

Ponyboy wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked sad and tired. "I don't feel so well now, Two-Bit. I don't think I'll be able to stand this new living. I want my brothers back. I love them and I need them. It's been a horrible year. My parents died, Johnny and Dally died, and now my brothers died. What am I supposed to do? This is just plain awful! I can't stand it! I can't stand it! Please, I can't stand it! Bring them back! Please, bring them back!"

Ponyboy went into hysterics as Two-Bit tried to calm him. "Calm down, Ponyboy, please. There's nothing we can do. They're gone and that's the way it is." Ponyboy cried and cried and it went on for some time. Two-Bit finally went to the bathroom and found a bottle of tranquilizers. He gave one to Ponyboy and it finally calmed him down. He laid back in the bed and starred up at the ceiling for a while. Two-Bit closed the door to leave him with privacy as he went into the living room and called Ponyboy's family doctor.

"Hello," Two-Bit said as he got in touch with the doctor. "This is Keith Matthews. I'm calling for Ponyboy Curtis. He's one of your regular patients. I was wondering if I could get a prescription for tranquilizers. Ponyboy has just recently gone through a very bad situation and it seems like he had been proscribed for them when his parents passed away about a year ago. I was wondering if I could get a refill of them for him because his brothers just recently passed away and he isn't taking it very easy. So, if you could call our local drugstore to give them permission for a refill, I would be very grateful." The doctor agreed to call the drugstore in town. Two-Bit thanked the doctor and hung up the phone as he went back to the bedroom to check on Ponyboy. He was now sitting at his desk, writing something in a composition book of his. He had calmed down quite a bit.

"Who was on the phone?" Ponyboy asked. Two-Bit shrugged as he tried to come up with an excuse. He didn't want to tell Ponyboy that he was calling to get a prescription for him.

"Oh, that was Steve. I was calling him just to see how he was. I thought I'd let him know that you were doing well."

"Oh, is that so?" Ponyboy asked. "I dont' think I'm doing so well. If I can get so upset like that, maybe there is something wrong with me."

"There is nothing wrong with you, Ponyboy. You're just very stressed out. It's perfectly normal for people to get like this after such a thing. You've been put through a lot lately and you've got a reason."

Ponyboy shrugged as he closed his composition book. "Oh, I don't know, Two-Bit. After what happened, I don't feel right. Thank God it's the summer. I wouldn't be able to stand school. i've been through too much. I just don't feel good anymore."

Two-Bit nodded, understanding as he sighed. "It's alright, Ponyboy. Are you thirsty? Would you like some sod- or, I mean water. Would you like some water or something?" Ponyboy nodded as Two-Bit went to the kitchen. He was going to say soda but luckilly caught himself. He figured that might set Ponyboy off again. He brought the water to Ponyboy as Two-Bit came up with an idea.

" I was thinking," he started. "How about we go out and do something today?"

Ponyboy shrugged as he had some of the water. " I don't know. What would we do? I'm not feeling up to doing much fun." Two-Bit sighed.

"We can't stay in the house forever. That'll just make you more upset. There's got to be a point where you want to go on living. Staying in the house all the time is just terrible. We need to go out and breathe some fresh air. You haven't left the house since we got back from the lawyer's office. You must be ready to go out and do something. Aren't you tired of staying in here?"

Ponyboy stood up. "Maybe I'm not, Two-Bit. This house is all that reminds me of my brothers. Maybe I want to take it easy. It's only been two weeks. I'd rather stay here and try to get it out of my head before I go out and celebrate like nothing even happened. That would just make me feel guilty. I wouldn't want to do that. My brothers wouldnt' be happy if I went out and had fun while I'm supposed to be in mourning for them. That would get them upset."

"It wouldn't get them upset. They'd be happy to see you having fun. I was gonna take you to a movie or something. You used to love movies. I remember you going to the movies all the time. I don't understand. Maybe you really aren't feeling well."

"I'm not. I just don't feel like leaving the house today. Maybe tomorrow we can go out and do something, but today I'd rather rest and take it easy while I have the time. I need to get some writing done."

Two-Bit looked over at Ponyboy's composition book. "Writing? What are you writing?"

"A novel. It's a book about everything's that's happened to me since I walked out of the movie theater. It was the day before Johnny killed that soc. If I could write this book and get real credit for it, I'm thinking that I might actually be able to make some money for my self. Now that I have nobody making the money for me, I suppose I should try to do it myself."

"I'm making money for you. I'm starting a job next week and I'm gonna work hard to put food on the table for both of us, Ponyboy. I did it just for you. I'm not gonna be told that no one's making money here. I'm making money for you."

Ponyboy nodded. "I know that, Two-Bit. What I meant was that may be this could improve our financial situation at least a little bit. I'm thinking of lots of ways to make money for myself. I have ever since I got up this morning. So, I made a list of things that we could do to get money. I've got it here in my drawer."

Two-Bit smiled and chuckled to himself. "Now I feel like a fool criticizing you. At least I know you've been thinking about these important things. Can I see the list?"

"Not right now. I want to try a few things on my own right now. First of all, I need to get this book finished. It's going to be a big hit. I just know it. I can go to those book stores and sign the books for people. I really can't wait. It's going to be great."


	4. Not my Brother

Chapter Four - Not My Brother

The next afternoon, Ponyboy stayed in his bedroom, writing his book, as Two-Bit went out to the drugstore to pick up the prescription he called in for. He was worried that Ponyboy might find out. He didn't want to make him upset. He seemed somewhat unstable at the time. It seemed that all he wanted to do was stay in the house and write. He didn't want to go out anywhere. Even when he had offered to take him out for breakfast that morning, Ponyboy refused and said that he would rather have what he had had the day before. Two-Bit didn't mind cooking. He wanted to do whatever he could for Ponyboy. If he went anywhere else, he wouldn't be the same. Two-Bit felt like he was the only hope for Ponyboy now.

Two-Bit returned to the house with the prescription late in the afternoon. Ponyboy was still in the bedroom, probably writing. The door was closed, so he didn't know. He knocked on the door and Ponyboy answered it. "Hey," he said. "Where were you?"

"I went out to see Steve. I thought that maybe he'd like some company. You were in here writing the whole time so I thought you wouldn't mind."

Ponyboy shook his head. "No, I didn't mind. I wish you would have let me know, though. I didn't even know you were gone until I called for you."

Two-Bit nodded. "Oh, I see. Was there something you wanted?"

"Just a beer. I havent' had one since Dally took me to Buck Merril's that one time. I thought mayb e a little alcohol would be good for me while I'm writing."

Two-Bit chuckled. "Ponyboy, you really shouldnt' drink at your age. You're much too young to be drinking."

"I'm nearly fifteen years old. I'd say I'm old enough to do anything. I've already been smoking for a while. I know that people say I shouldn't do that either, but I do. Once you get started, you can't stop."

Two-Bit sighed. There was no reason to argue with Ponyboy at a time like this. "Well, Ponyboy, i'll make a deal with you. If you go to the movies with me tonight, I'll buy you a beer tomorrow."

Ponyboy thought for a second and nodded. "Okay, it's a deal. But I want a beer tomorrow. I'd like to feel more grown-up now. I feel like a little kid with you having to take care of me like this. I realize you're trying to help and everything, but I still feel like a little kid. I could probably take care of myself, but unfortanatly, the courts don't think so."

Two-Bit shrugged. "Well, of course they don't, Ponyboy. You're too young to be living alone. It's just not something that's ever been legal. Maybe if you were eighteen, but you're not. And if we want to make that movie, I think I should get dinner started for us." He went into the kitchen and started dinner. he didn't like the way ponyboy was acting that day. He thought that he was acting more like a punk, unlike the way he usually was. He sighed as he cooked dinner. He figured it was probably just a side effect from what was going on. Lots of stressed people got strange ideas and Ponyboy probably wanted to drink because he was stressed. Two-Bit shrugged at the thought as he made burgers for the two of them. He usually liked to make things that were more healthy for them because he didnt think that any adult coming into the house to find them only eating burgers and fries all the time would be happy. However, he figured it wouldn't hurt to do it now.

Ponyboy and Two-Bit sat at the table, eating. It had mostly been a silent meal as Two-Bit asked, "So, how's the writing going along? You were in there all day. I suppose you got far with the story, huh?"

Ponyboy nodded. "Yeah, i"m getting really far. I should be done soon. Then I can publish it and get money. We have to start with our other jobs soon, too."

Two-Bit nodded. "Yea, Ponyboy. I wanted to talk to you about these jobs you had planned for us to do. I was wondering exactly what your ideas of jobs were for us." Ponyboy shrugged as he drank.

"I don't know. I had a few things on my mind, but I have to think more about it. What are some of your ideas?'

Two-Bit chuckled. "Well, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. Maybe I could make some suggestions."

"Go ahead."

"I don't know exactly why you're suddenly liking the idea of making money. It wasn't until yesterday morning you started talking. You were thinking these things even while you werent talking?"

"Sure, I was," Ponyboy responded. "I've been thinking about it for the past two weeks. Then yesterday I thought that it might be a good idea to start talking to you. I was just quiet because I didn't feel like talking."

Two-Bit's eyes widened. "So, you could've talked the entrie time, but you just didn't feel like it? Ponyboy, you shouldn't have done that. I had though dozens of times of calling the doctor for you and I almost did. It's a good thing that you spoke up yesterday. I probably would've called the doctor if you hadn't. You're lucky."

Ponyboy chuckled as he finished eating. "It didn't stop you, anyways. I know you called the doctor yesterday. I could hear what you were saying."

Two-Bit gulped as he shook his head. "I didn't call the doctor for anything. You must've heard me wrong. Why would I call the doctor after I saw that you were doing fine? That's rediculous. Why should I do that?"

Ponyboy laughed as he stood up. 'Hold on. I'll go and get the evidence." He left the room for a second and returned with the fresh bottle of tranquilizers. H set them on the table. Crossing his arms, he glared at Two-Bit. "So, where did they come from?"

Two-Bit shook his head. "How should I know? They were there when I got here."

"Yeah, they were, but it wasn't full! I only had two of these pills left!"

Two-Bit sighed. "Well, the doctor called yesterday and told me that after what happened, you should probably get a refill of them to calm you down. It's a good thing I had them with me yesterday when you got upset. So, it's a good thing that the doctor called and suggested it."

Ponyboy shook his head as he pointed at Two-Bit. "No, Two-Bit. The doctor didn't call yesterday. i would've heard the phone ring. You called the doctor and told him to refill the pills! I know you did! I had my ear up to the door while you were on the phone with him, so I know!"

Two-Bit gasped. "So, you were listening to my conversation? I wouldn't do that to you , Ponyboy! That's invading someone's privacy! I didn't want totell you that I wanted them to be refilled because-"

"Because you didn't want to upset me. I know, Two-Bit. I knew that. You think I'm crazy and you think I need some doctor or something. Well, you're wrong. I'm fine, Two-Bit! I don't need any help! I'm perfectly fine! If anybody here needs a doctor, it's you! You're crazy enough to think that I need help and you even-"

"Stop, it, Ponyboy! You do need help! You're not youself lately! Now your even getting mad at me for no reason. All I'm trying to do is help you and you're getting mad at me."

Ponyboy laughed as he paced the room. "Who said I was mad? I'm just disappointed that I could lose my friend's trust. The friend that's supposed to be my guardian! I can't believe that I would lose your trust! You told me yourself that you would do anything for me, so now I want you to do something."

"What is it? And I need to know what your ideas of jobs are. You're starting to worry me!"

"I want you to leave me alone until tomorrow morning and in the morning, I'll have some more things for you to do because you're supposed to be watching me! Me! You're not gonna call any doctors, you're not gonna get me anymore pills! I don't need the pills! I'm fine! I'm perfectly calm! You're the one who's nuts, Two-Bit!"

Ponyboy stormed out the door as Two-Bit followed him down the hall. Ponyboy went into his room and slammed the door shut as Two-Bit pounded on the door. He had locked it. "Open the door!" Two-Bit screamed. "I'm not gonna play games like this, Ponyboy! Open the door! I'm not gonna tell you again!" There was silence on the other side of the door. "This is your last chance," Two-Bit said.

"Go away, Two-Bit, I'm tired."

Two-Bit sighed. "Well, you have to let me in! My bed's in there!"

"That's not your bed, Two-Bit that's Soda's bed. And you're not my brother!"


	5. Not Himself

Chapter Five - Not Himself

Two-Bit was forced to sleep on the couch that night. He was so angry with Ponyboy. All he was trying to do was help him and now he was mad at him. He couldn't believe it. He didn't know what to do. He was stuck there now. To really show how important he was to Ponyboy, he could mention putting Ponyboy in a boy's home somewhere, but he decided not to. That would probably make him angrier. Two-Bit sighed as he heard nothing whatsoever coming from Ponyboy's room. He quietly stood up and walked down the hall. He realized that there was still Darry's room that he could sleep in. At least it was a bed and not a couch. He sighed as he laid on the bed, starring up att the ceiling. He was hoping he would wake up in the morning and Ponyboy would be feeling better. He couldn't stand Ponyboy getting angry.

With these thoughts, he drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Two-Bit awoke to see Ponyboy watching over him with a smile on his face. "You poor kid," he said. "I shouldn't have lost my temper last night, Two-Bit. This is all my fault." Two-Bit smiled, too. Thank God that Ponyboy was feeling better.

"It's not your fault," Two-Bit replied. "I shouldn't have called the doctor. It was a dumb thing to do. I should have told you what my plans were." Ponyboy smiled as he set a glass of milk down on the night stand.

"Here, have some milk. I'm sure that you want some. It's almost noon, believe it or not. It looks like you've slept in pretty late, Two-Bit. I bet it's because of all the stress I put you through last night." Two-Bit drank the milk. Surprisingly, he was very thirsty. He wasn't usually that thirtsy in the morning, but that day he was.

"It's alright, POnyboy. We both sort of lost our tempers last night. But now that's all over and we can be friends again." Ponyboy continued to smile. He was almost smiling too much.

"I trust you, Two-Bit. You're my guardian now. In fact, last night, it all occured to me. I was thinking about everything adn that's when it occured to me that I just need more time to get used to the fact that you're my brother now. It'll probably take a little while, so i was thinking athat we shouljd start doing things together. We never did go to that movie like you wanted us to go to last night."

Two-Bit nodded as he stood up in bed. "Yea, would you like to go to that movie tonight, Ponyboy? I believe it's playing again."

Ponyboy nodded. "Sure, I'd like to go. And maybe Steve could go, too. I haven't seen him in a while. Of course that's probably because I don't like him at all. He's so mean to me all the time. If only Dally were still here to teach him a lesson about picking on me."

"Hey, I've sticked up for you before, Ponyboy," Two-Bit said. "The other week I did. Steve was saying bad stuff about you. I told him to shut his mouth. In fact, I've never seen him so insulted. I think he's still mad at me."

Ponyboy chuckled as he left the room and went down the hall. "Oh, that's too bad." Two-Bit sighed. He felt a little angry. He felt like he gave up Steve for Ponyboy. Going over to the mirror, he fixed his hair with his comb and followed Ponyboy into the hall.

Ponyboy was nowhere to be seen. "Ponyboy?" he called. Ponyboy answered from the kitchen. He said he was making breakfast for them both. Two-Bit said that sounded good as he went back down the hall and entered Ponyboy's room. Both of the beds were made and he noticed the composition book on the desk. He sat down at the desk and was about to open the book when Ponyboy walked in.

"Don't open that!" Ponyboy warned. "I don't want anybody reading it until it's finished. It should be finished in a few days." Two-Bit gulped. Ponyboy had scared him.

"I'm sorry, Ponyboy. I didn't realize it was private."

"Well, it is. And I'm sorry but we're out of pancake mix so we're gonna have to have cereal instead."

Two-Bit nodded. "That's fine. I'm not that hungry, anyways. Just one bowl of cereal will do."

Ponyboy smiled as he returned to the kitchen. Two-Bit sighed as he stood up from the desk chair. Ponyboy seemed better, but there was still something strange about him. He seemed awfully paranoid about something. It seemed like everything he did, Ponyboy would say something terrible about him.

In the kitchen, Ponyboy was pouring cereal into two bowls for both of them. They were nearly out of cereal as well. "Oh, damn!" he said. "Now I'll have to get more breakfast food!" He groaned as he used up the last of the cereal. He brought it to Two-Bit who was sitting on the living room couch.

"There you go, Two-Bit. Fresh cereal. I'm going ot hve to get some more, though. This was all the cere4al we had. I was gonna make some eggs and stuff, but we've been having that for the past few days and-"

"Thanjk you, Ponyboy. That's alright, though. I'll get the stuff when i go to the store later today."

"You're going to the store?"

"Well, sure. I haven't been there in a couple days. I think it might be good if i wen tthere."

"Well, I could do it for you, Two-Bit. You said you think it would be good for me to get out of the house and I think shopping for groceries would be a good thing, I could get whatever you'd like. We could have a really nice big dinner tonight or something like that. I'll make the best things just like Darry and Soda used to cook."

He stood up and started pacing the room as he approached a family photograph of him with Darry, Soda, and mom and dad. "Just like they used to make. We used to have nice picnics. I bet that would be fun. We could have picnics here. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Two-Bit?"

"Sure, I'd like that. We could have picnics, Ponyboy. We could have Steve and maybe Cherry and Marcia over. We haven't seen them for a while."

Ponyboy shook his head. "No, that's true. We haven't seen them a while. That would be fun." There was a knock on the door. Ponyboy went up and opened the door. Steve was standing there.

"Hi, Ponyboy. I was just seeing how you and Two-Bit were doing." Ponyboy nodded.

"We're doing fine, Steve. Would you like to come in? We were just having breakfast."

"Sure."

He walked into the house as Ponyboy walked into the kitchen. "I'll be out in a few minutes, guys. I need to clean up." As he went into the kitchen, Steve sighed. Two-Bit smiled as he ate his breakfast.

"How are you today, Steve?"

"Fine."

"I think Ponyboy's feeling a little stressed lately. If he ever seems to have an attitude, don't worry about it. Last night, we got into a big fight, but everything's resolved now."

Steve sat down next to Two-Bit. "Did you call the doctor and ask about making an appointment?" he asked. "I told you to. It's the best thing for him."

"Oh, no, Steve. I did call the doctor, but just for some pills. As far as Ponyboy goes, I think he's doing much better lately. That is, since the accident. He seems to be doing a lot better lately. For the past few days, he's been talking and he's even writing a book and getting ideas for making money with jobs. I think his mind is in pretty good health."

Steve sighed. "Two-Bit, I told you to call the doctor. It doesn't matter if Ponyboy has ideas on getting a job. After what happened, it's turned him into a sick person. He isn't mentally stable. I think he's probably the type that would snap at you for anything now. He isn't doing well at all."

"Please, steve. Don't interfere. I signed the papers. I happen to be his guardian. I can call the doctor if I want to. It just seems like we're doing this too early. I think we should wait and see how he is. He hasn't been too bad. It's only been two weeks since-

"Stop, Two-Bit! You're just making things worse by letting it go like this. Ponyboy wasn ever like this before the accident. you know that. He used to be so kind and everything. Now look at him. He just doesnt seem himself lately. I havnet efen talked to him until today and I can already tell that he isn't doing to good. I dont' know, but I can hear it in his voice. You have to call someone. If you feel uncomfortable calling the doctor, call me and i'll do it."

"I won't do that, Steve! He's my responsibility now, not yours. If it was up to you, you'd probably put him in a boy's home or something just because you didn't feel like taking care of him."

Steve stood up, looking angry. "Two-Bit, I would never do that! I realize Ponyboy and I have had our differeanes once n a while, but don't think I's do something like that to him. That's a terrible thing. You know how much going to a boy's home scares him. If you'd mention that, I don't think that he's be able to take it."

Two-Bit sighed as he stood up with Steve. "I'm sorry, Steve. I've been put through a lot of stress, too. i'm just thinking of JOhnny and Dally and the Curtis brothers. I don't know how POnyboy can even stand it anymore."

"That's my point, Two-Bit. Soon, Ponyboy might not even be able to take it anymore. That's why you should call a doctor and schedule an appointment just to be safe."

Ponyboy suddenly appeared in the doorway, a look of anger on his face. Two-Bit gulped. "Hi, Ponyboy. We were just talking."

"I know you were. You were talking about me. I could hear the whole thing. Steve, we're busy. If you could please leave."

Steve sighed as he went out the front door. Two-Bit was afraid now. He was afraid that POnyboy might not trust him as a guardian now. Ponyboy picked up the empty bowl of cereal. "Enjoy your breakfast?" Ponyboy asked. Two-Bit nodded. "That's a good thing. Because we won't be going to the store today. I just realized that I'm way too tired to do such a thing."

He spotted the telephone. POnyboy yanked it from the wall and carried it into the kitchen. "I think it's better that I disconnect the phone. I'm tired of getting calls and it's not good to use it so often." He went into the kitchen and disappeared from sight as Two-Bit gulped. He didn't know what to do now.

That night, Ponyboy slept in his room like usual. Two-Bit slept in Darry's room. Ponyboy gave in and said that he didn't mind him sleepong in his brother's bed. Two-Bit could hear the television on in Ponyboy's room. Two-Bit laid in bed with the lights on as he listened to what Pnyboy might have been doing in his room. He wasn't so sure about his book that he was writing. He thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea to have it published. It could have had things in it about himself. They could have been bad things. Two-Bit fell asleep, dreaming that Ponyboy would be better in the morning.

In the morning, Two-Bit awoke, finding that the house was very quiet. Stretching as he got out of bed, he went over to the bedroom door and went out to the hall. Ponyboy seemed like he was nowhere around. Two-Bit went down the hall, opening Ponyboy's bedroom door. There was no one in the room. Two-Bit found himself nervous. He was surprised to find that he was this way about Ponyboy. There was a time when he thought that Ponyboy could never get mad or anything, but now he knew that he could and it was all because of the accident. "Ponyboy?" Two-Bit called. As he turned to go out to the living room, Ponyboy was standing in the middle of the hall. Two-Bit gasped as Ponyboy laughed.

"That's not funny, POnyboy!"

"I'm sorry, Two-Bit. I didn't meant to scare you. I just thought I'd surprise you by saying today I waNt to have a lot of fun."

Two-Bit gulped as he started walking back toward the bedroom. "Fun? Fund oing what?"

Ponyboy shrugged as he began to walk toward Two-Bit, smiling the whole time. Two-Bit found himself horrified of Ponyboy. He wasn't sure what Ponyboy wanted to do. "I dont' know, Two-Bit. I was thinking that you would be so kind to stand still so I can tie you to the chair." POnyboy pulled a rope out of his pocket.

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	6. Mean Things

Chapter 6 - Mean Things

Two-Bit had never been tied up before. Now he knew what it felt like. He had spent the last hour tied to a chair in the living room with a gag in his mouth. He was uncomfortable and hungry. He wanted to call the doctor now more than anything. There was something wrong with Ponyboy. Two-Bit listened to the different things he had been doing since he had tied him up. He went in his own bedroom to use the phone in there. Two-Bit thought that if only he could get to the bedroom, that's where he could call the doctor. Ponyboy had thrown the other telephone somwhere else and he had idea where he had put it. Then, Ponyboy went into the kitchen to make some lunch. Two-Bit couldn't believe that roles had been reversed. Now POnyboy was taking care of him, in a bad way of course. Ponyboy's laughter echoed from the kitchen as he cooked something. Two-Bit groaned until he was tired. The gag in his mouth was driving him nuts. If anything, he just wanted that gag out of his mouth.

"What would you like for lunch, Two-Bit?" Ponyboy asked from the kitchen. He was laughing still. Two-bit sighed as he tried to break his arms free from the ropes that had him tied to the chair. "How about a nice, big, juicy rat?"

Two-Bit shook his head as Ponyboy walked into the room, holding a rat in his hands. He was laughing as he held the rat in Two-Bit's face. Two-Bit closed his eyes as he moaned. "I'm jsust kidding. I wouldn't feed you a rat, Two-Bit. I am just joking with you." He went back into the kitchen and brought out a tray with two sandwhiches on it. Two-Bit smied for the first timet hat day as Ponyboy took the gag away from his mouth. Two-Bit breathed in fresh air.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Two-Bit asked.

"Doing what to you?"

"Tying me up and treating me like this? You're not yourself, Ponyboy. You're going crazy!"

"Oh, stop! Everytime I have fun, you always say something to make me feel bad. I am not crazy, I'm just having fun. You told me you'd do anything for me to let me have fun, so now you're letting me tie you up because I find it humerous."

"Well, think about how I feel! I've been tied up for an hour and I need to go to the bathroom!"

"Big deal! The only person here is me. Don't be embarassed to go here. It's not that big of a deal. All I want is for you to cooperate with me. ONce you do, i'll untie you. But until then, you're staying in this chair."

Two-Bit sighed as Ponyboy fed him the sandwhich. He was starving. He had eaten dinner, but he was still hungrier than ever. When Ponyboy offered him some water, he shook his head.

"Why not? You must be thirsty!"

"Maybe I am, but if I drink something, I'm gonna wet myself."

"I already told you that I don't care what happens. Brothers shouldn't be embarassed in front of their brothers. And you said that you're my brother now, so your'e basically setting your own rules, Two-Bit. Don't be embarassed about anything." The phone rang. Ponyboy put the gag back on Two-Bit's mouth and ran to the bedroom to answer it. It was Steve. 'Oh, hello, Steve. We're doing just fine here. Two-Bit can't talk right now. He's in the bathroom. I'll call you back later then."

He hung up the phone and returned to the living room where Two-Bit just began to wet his pants. Ponyboy sighed as tears streamed from Two-Bit's eyes. "It's okay, Two-Bit. I told you not to be embarassed. Everyone has an accident once in a while. They happen. Just like the one that got my brothers. That was an accident and it was one that should have never happened."

He groaned as he made a fist and pounded at the wall. "Why did they have to go? Why? My two brothers! Why did they go? Everyingh happens to me!" He screamed and ran down the hall to his bedroom where he went onto his bed, crying and screaming. Two-Bit only wished that he could give Ponyboy some of those tranquilizers to calm him down. He was out of control. He had tied him up just for fun and made him wet himself. And then he lied to Steve by telling him that he wasn't available. What was he going to do? Ponyboy became quiet after a while and eventually fell asleep on his bed. Two-Bit felt disgusting with his pee down his leg and a gag in his mouth. He had tried numerous times to untie himself, but the ropes were tight. Ponyboy had really thought this one through. Two-Bit looked outside. A neighbor would once in a while walk by and he wished that he could somehow get their attention. He was so tired that he ended up falling asleep in the chair with the ropes still tied to him.

He awoke to see Ponyboy untying the ropes and carrying him to the bathroom. It was later. The sun had gone down outside and it was night. ONce int he bathroom, Ponyboy started a bath for Two-Bit as Two-Bit laid on the floor, sighing with relief. A bath would feel real nice.

"I'm so sorry, Two-Bit," Ponyboy explained.

"It's okay."

"I wasn't feeling myself at all today. I'm very sorry. I promise that won't happen again. I guess I was taking things too far."

"Yes, you were."

"I am sorry. The bath is filling for you. I thought you might feel better to wash off. I didnt' realize how bad you must feel. You must be so mad at me for tying you up like that and holding a dead rat in your face. You must have really thought that I was crazy." Oh, boy, do I, Two-Bit thought.

"No, it's fine," Two-Bit said. "You're under a lot of stress, that's all. You can't take the fact that your brothers died. I understand that, but you can't take out your stress on me liek this. I was scared to death today, Ponyboy. I don't know if I've ever been so scared. You did awful things to me. I'm so embarrased. I peed in my pants, Ponyboy! I feel awful!"

"I know. You must feel terrible. If you want, I'll go and get some pizza for you at the pizza place. Then when you get out of your bath, we can eat pizza and watch Mickey Mouse. I bet you'd like that, huh?"

Two-Bit couldnt' help to smile. "Now you'res tarting to recognize me, ponyboy. Now wer'e like brothrs." Ponyboy smiled as he wen tout into the hall. "I'll do anything for you, Two-Bit. Just dont' do what I ddi tody. You have to understaznd that I had no idea what I was doing. It doesn't give you permission to tie me up to a chair and try to feed me a rat."

Two-Bit shook his head even though that was exactly what he felt like doing. He felt angry at Ponbyboy, yet he still wanted to get a ong with him. Ponyboy closed the bathroom door to let Two-Bit take a bath. Two-Bit undressed and threw his clothes in a pile. He needed them washed now. As the water continued to pour from the tap, Two-Bit laid in the filling tub, loving the warm water coming over him. It made him feel a sense of relief as he felt clean again. He did a lot of thinking as he laid in the tub. How could he find out what ponyboy was doing in his room? How could he prevent more events of getting tied up to a chair? How could he reason with Ponyboy? He was getting very confused and he had to come up with a solution soon.

After his bath, Two-Bit dressed into a new pair of clothes and went to the kitchen where Ponyboy had the pizza laid out on the table. Ponyboy was smiling. He had dressed into something nicer. He seemed like he was going back to normal. Two-Bit smiled as he sat down with him. They began to eat the pizza together as Ponyboy brought in the television fromt hte loving room. They watched Mickey Mouse to Two-Bit's delight as Two-Bit tried to talk with POnyboy.

"So, POnyboy, are youf eeling better tonight?"

"Yes, Much better. Im still ashamed that I did such mean things to you today though. I've never acted like that before. It's probably because of so much stress i've been having on me lately."

"That's exactly what it is, Ponyboy! You're stressed and you might consider getting some help or something."

"Help?"

"Yes, and I know that you might not like the idea, but it's probably the best hing for you. There's this real nice doctor and i'm sure that hel'l be happy to ehlp you out."

"Please, tWo-Bit. I dont' want to go see a doctor. I've already told you that I don't need one. I'm perfectly healthy. I'm doing just fine. There's absolutely nothing wrong with me. Look, I got you pizza and I brought in the TV for us to watch your favorite show. If there was something wrong with me, i wouldn't have done these things for you."

"Oh, I know that, Ponyboy. I know that you're okay. It's just that-"

"Just that what? I'm very confused when you talk like this, Two-Bit. I wish you would make sense when you talk. It's been a while since we've been able to have a nice, normal conversation that has nothing to do with being healthy and stress and all that sort of thing. I don't want to think about it. I want to have fun. I want to make money!"

"Right, Ponyboy. And with money, there comes lots of responsibilites. You have to show up to work everyday and make the money. Are you willing to do that?"

"Of course! I'm willing to do that! I'm going to sell my book first and get lots of money for it. Oh, Two-Bit, we'll have so much money. We won't even have to live in this house anymore. we can move somewhere else. Maybe a nicer place like California. We can get a nice house in California and be brothers! That's what I want, Two-Bit. I want to be brothers with you. And I want to meet a girl. I think I want to be with Cherry. She's the girl of my dreams and I could never let her go. She could come with us. And you could be with Marcia. I know you like her."

"Well, yes, that's true, but I think we're thinking ahead a little to fast-"

"Why do you always crash my dreams? Why? I just want to have fun!"

Ponyboy stood up, looking upset as he pounded the wall. "I can't stand it when things are taken from me! It was like when I found out that my parents were gone. I couldn't take it and neither could the others. And when Johnny went away, I didnt' know what to do. Dally took that even worse than I did. Just be happy that I didn't end up like him. That would be worse. After they both went away, I lost my brothers and that was even worse!"

"And that's why you're acting like this! You have to understand that that's why all of this is happening!"

"Nothing's happening! Stop reminding me about them! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Ponyboy ran from the room as Two-Bit followed him. Ponyboy slammed his bedroom door shut as Two-Bit sighed. "Ponyboy, open the door and stop acting like this!"

"No, Two-Bit! Leave me alone! I don't want to talk about my brothers!"

"I'm not talking about them! You're the one who keeps bringing them up!"

"No, you're the one who keeps talking about them! Stop, Two-Bit!"

Two-Bit listened. It sounded like Ponyboy was crying. He was going into hysterics. The pills! He ran to the bathroom and got the tranquilizers. If only he could get in the bedroom, he could give them to Ponyboy to calm him odwn.

"Come on, Ponyboy! Open the door!"

"No, Two-Bit. I'm tired! I'm exhausted! I don't want to talk now!"

"Please, Ponyboy. This is important. We need to talk about this stuff! It's important! You need help! It's very important that you listen to me!"

"No!"

"Stop acting like this, Ponyboy! I'll leave the house if that's what you want! I'll leave the house!"

There was now no sound that came from the bedroom. Two-Bit sighed as he dropped the sleeping pills to the floor and ran out the front door. He needed to get away from the house.


	7. Night Suspense

Chapter 7 - Night of Suspense

Two-Bit couldn't take it. He went to his own house. His family had gone out for the week, but at least he was alone and comfortable. He couldn't take the way Ponyboy was being. It was just too much for him anymore. He wasn't sure if he should stop being Ponyboy's guardian or not. He felt as though he couldn't trust Ponyboy anymore. He sighed as he sat on his old couch, watching television and having a beer. He felt at home again. He didn't know what to do about Ponyboy. He should call a doctor. He knew that. That was the best thing for Ponyboy. And now he had a phone in this house. He shook his head, though. He didn't want to think about that at the moment. What he really wanted to do was relax and maybe if he went back to the house in the morning, Ponyboy would be feeling better. Of course, then he would seem normal for a little while and the smallest thing would set him off again. It happened everyday. It was terrible.

"Oh, what am I gonna do?" Two-Bit said to himself as he sat on his couch. He was so stressed out and didn't know what he should do at all. That was when the phone rang and he found out that Ponyboy had taken an overdose of tranquilizers and that he was in a bad state. Two-Bit ran back to the Curtis home where a doctor was standing.

"Are you Keith Matthews?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, sir. I am. How did you know about Ponyboy?"

"Apparently, your friend Steve Randle called the house and when there was no answer he came over to see if everything was okay. He found Ponyboy asleep on the bed with a half empy bottle of tranquilizers that had been subscribed to him. He seems to be okay now, but I must say it was very irresponsible for you to leave like that when he was in such a condition. You should have called a doctor for him."

Two-Bit sighed. "Yes, sir. I know I should have."

"We have some ties that you could use to tie him down in case he has one of his episodes. I have them in the bedroom closet for you. Also, make sure that you have safety locks on all of the medicine cabinets. Here is my number."

The doctor left and Two-Bit went to Ponyboy's room. He had the covers over him to his neck. He was undressed, his clothes laying in a pile on the floor. He looked peacefully asleep. Two-Bit approached him and ran a hand through his hair. "Poor Ponyboy."

Ponyboy opened his eyes with a tired look as he frowned. "Why did you leave, Two-Bit? I thought I lost you, too. So I thought I should calm myself by taking lots of pills."

"And that wasn't the right thing to do. You shouldn't have. I've been made a bad example of a guardian for you now. The doctor didn't like that I left you."

"And neither did I."

Two-Bit sighed as he sat on the edge of Soda's bed. Ponyboy moved around under the covers. "Now I know what it's like to be embarassed like that. Here I am with no clothes on in my bed and I just did such a stupid thing. I'm so ashamed of myself now."

"Don't be. The only other person in this room is me."

They both laughed as Ponyboy threw the covers off of him. "Yeah, who cares?" Ponyboy said. "The doctor had to look through all the papers to find your house number. He found it and I was happy because I wanted you to come back."

"And I am back now. I'll never leave again. I'm here with you, Ponyboy. And I'm sorry that I left the house. I'll always be there for you if you need help, Ponyboy. I promise you that."

Ponyboy looked out the window. "It sure looks nice out tonight," he exclaimed. "Do you think that we could go to a movie tonight?"

Two-Bit smiled. "Of course we can, Ponyboy. Of course we can. WE'll do anything you want, Ponyboy. We can go to a movie and do anything you want. Remember, we're brothers."

Ponyboy sighed with relief as he laid back and fell asleep. Two-Bit left the room and went to his own bedroom. He fell asleep, dreaming peaceful things for the first time in a while. Ponyboy finally seemed alright. He hoped it would stay this way now. It seemed like Ponyboy finally got the message.

More to come!!


End file.
